The prospect that Donald Trump will reinstate a stricter version of the public charge rule has sparked concerns among immigrants as his inauguration approaches. The rule, which allows authorities to deny green cards or entry to immigrants deemed likely to rely on public assistance, was expanded under Trump's administration in 2019 and later reversed by President Joe Biden.
Under Trump's previous policy, immigrants who had used programs like Medicaid, housing assistance, Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) or food aid faced barriers to obtaining legal permanent residency. The rule also deterred many mixed-status families — those with at least one U.S. citizen — from seeking benefits for fear of jeopardizing their immigration status.
